Nudity in Sports: A Pictorial History

Even before Michelangelo sculpted the statue of David, one of mankind's great masterpieces, humans have been fascinated by the human form. The body has been recreated and admired through art, our fascination with the physical self standing the test of time.

As technology has advanced, we have been granted the means to capture the body on film as it actually is, the camera providing a more perfect mirror of reality than the statue or paintbrush ever could.

And so, with the news that Brooklyn Decker recently released a tasteful, sexy gallery of topless photos, we at Bleacher Report felt that now was the time to celebrate the art of displaying the human form on film. Thus, we present to you Nudity in Sports: A Pictorial History.

It is no secret that athletes possess the sort of toned and chiseled frames needed to withstand the many rigors of competitive sport. On this slideshow, we celebrate that fact.

24. Claire Bevilacqua

As you will see, ESPN the Magazine's Body Issue is the source for several of these photos. Thus, I now present the conversation between two completely theoretical ESPN executives, Bill and Ted, as they brainstorm and devise the Body Issue concept.

22. Natasha Kai (Soccer)

(We now return you to Bill and Ted's Theoretical ESPN Adventures)

Bill: So you know how—despite the fact ESPN the Magazine's content is totally "hip" and "happening," and geared toward a younger crowd that enjoys our "celebrification" of athletes—we are lagging behind Sports Illustrated in subscriptions?

Ted: Yeah, for whatever reason, people seem to enjoy the interesting articles they provide. Apparently, people enjoy well-researched, quality writing. Who knew?

20. Federica Pellegrini

Since most of you probably can't read Italian, I'll translate for you.

We put bronzer on this lovely swimmer because her beauty must be immortalized like a finely-sculpted statue. We must spend our days sending love notes to this newest talking statue of Rome. Federica, for you we only write praise!

Um, ignore the obvious question mark on the picture, or the fact that there only appears to be one sentence on the photo. It just, you know, translates funny and what not.

18. The LPGA's Christina Kim, Anna Grzebien and Sandra Gal

Bill:(wipes brow) Ah, journalistic integrity, you kill me, Ted. More like the Worldwide Leader in Self-Promotion. But to get back on topic, the way to do this is to simply shift the focus from the idea of nudity to the idea of the athlete's body.

Ted: Go on...

Bill: See, if we say admire the incredibly toned and muscular bodies of athletes that we could never have, it will seem classier. So we will still rope in big numbers because nudity sells, but we will change the focus so it will seem classier.

Ted: And instead of having the usual suspects, like Maria Sharapova, we can mix in less mainstream athletes, males, even some older folks to drive the point home. Including males will satisfy the female demographic, that's a definite plus!

(Bill and Ted's Theoretical ESPN Adventures will resume in two slides)

16. Gabrielle Reece

The former volleyball player is one of many athletes featured on this slideshow to pose for Playboy.

I'll give Playboy this—when doing shoots with athletes, they tend to connect it to the sport they play in some manner, however subtle. Which makes it far more artistic, I think, than simply having them sit on a chair without a shirt on.

Though I'm not entirely sure how water and volleyball connect, unless they are somehow connecting water to the "beach" aspect in beach volleyball.

14. Biba Golic (Ping Pong)

Bill: Well, it is settled then. We'll call it the uh, um, hold on, its coming to me...

Ted: The Body Issue!

Bill: Ohmigod, I love it. Nobody will see that name and go, "Oh, an issue focusing on nudity, and they call it the Body Issue, which is ironic because publications such as this one and the SI Swimsuit Edition often give women body issues of their own."

Ted: No, people aren't clever enough to draw that conclusion.

(Stay tuned for the dramatic conclusion to Bill and Ted's Theoretical ESPN Adventures)

10. Gina Carano

Bill: So you know how LeBron James is going to be a free agent in 2010?

Ted: Go on...

Bill: And you know how teams are already clearing cap space for him, creating a ridiculous amount of hype and anticipation for the 2010 summer?

Ted: Go on...

Bill: What if we broadcast the press conference when he makes his announcement? We could hire a hack reporter to ask him dumb questions, maybe have him donate to some charity to lessen the blatant narcissism of the whole thing, and even have cameras stationed in Cleveland in case he leaves and breaks the city's heart.

Ted: I love you, Bill. Seriously, I am completely in love with you. That is brilliant. Let's high five now, and maybe hold one another.

6. Lolo Jones

I feel like on this slide I should point out that in no way, shape or form was there anything ironic about me poking fun at ESPN for the Body Issue, all while posting pictures from that very issue on a slideshow entitled Nudity in Sports: A Pictorial History.

Not the faintest trace of irony whatsoever.

Also, Lolo Jones is simply gorgeous, and bears some resemblance to Rashida Jones, which is always a good thing.